Geek Monthly is a pretty cool magazine aimed at people like you and me: geeks.

Face it. It’s true.

They interviewed me a few months ago, and the issue is finally out! It’s the June issue, and they sent me a copy in the mail. I look at the cover, and what do I see?

Wil Wheaton and I are in the same issue.

OMGOMGOMG. SQUUEEEEE!

And may I add: hawesome.

And even better: he is on page 14, and I am on page 28, which numeralogically is twice as cool. Geek Monthly clearly is supporting me in the Wheaton/Plait antimatter dilithium debate. Yes, I know, I conceded to Wil, but it still stings*.

Anyway, I was so excited I blogged before I read the articles. I have to admit the picture with his article is better than the one of me (posing near a giant radio telescope in Tidbinbilla, Australia). But I have supernova remnants in mine. That ups the cool quotient.

Comments (36)

I actually saw it this weekend at Best Buy and flipped through it, saw you were in it so I bought it. Once I got home I did notice your mancrush was in there as well. It is a really cool magazine, I’ve never seen it before and think I may subscribe.

Cool, so when were you at Tid, I have a friend who works there and he is affectionately known as our “Rocket Scientist Friend”
Unfortunately I havnt seen the Mag anywhere in Australia so I can’t comment on the article.

Am I the only one here who hates the word “geek” with a passion? Here in the UK, I see it primarily as a derogatory and perjorative term that mainly gets used when insulting and/or belittling another individual.

As I understand it, the word “geek” comes from the American carnival circuit of the 1920s, where it was used to refer to “entertainers” who would bite the heads from live chickens. Tastes having improved, the term has now been adapted – distorted – to refer to people who show an unhealthy interest in reading and writing.

If you think that this is some personal prejudice of my own, allow me to refer you to the late Professor Stephen Jay Gould, who surely needs no introduction.

In his collection of essays, “Bully for Brontosaurus”, he goes into some depth with regard to the hostility he encountered as a child, due to his intellectual interests – “…wonk, dweeb, geek – one item in that litany of cruelty is always current….. it hurt.”

Professor Gould adds that you should not judge, based on those individuals, such as himself, who go on to have successful, rewarding, careers, but the far larger number of others who have never reach their life’s ambitions, due to the “pressure of a profoundly anti-intellectual society ….. because some swaggering fellow called them “nerd” in the playground.”

Orwell’s “1984” was intended to illustrate, amongst other things, the idea that, by controlling a person’s choice of words, you can go some way to controlling their thoughts, and, hence, their behaviour. In the same book, “Ignorance is Strength” is one of Big Brother’s slogans.

However, I understand that “1984” was intended as a warning, and not, in fact, a guide.

I used to live in the UK and the term Geek is a not a nice word to use to describe someone.
I love Science and Astronomy, and i’m an former British Army trained “killist”……sir, you would not call me a Geek, if you met me!!!

I’d like to join those objecting to the use of “geek” (or nerd, same thing) to stereotype practically all scientists and engineers. And please don’t try to co-opt it on our behalf out of perverse pride. I see it more and more all the time – Newsweek had a ridiculous article about some attractive and smart female students at Tufts who are being called “The Nerd Girls” just because they are engineers. I can think of an analogy in race relations, adopting a derogatory term as your own, but I don’t think that’s what we want to do.

I’m a civil engineer, and definitely not cool, but I don’t think I’m a geek. I have two sons, one of whom is a rock musician and one a classical pianist. Is one of them cool and the other a geek? I don’t think so, and they don’t think so. Down with stereotypes.

Or, speaking as a bisexual guy, you could take a tip from the GLBT community, and reclaim the word, and wear it proudly. Change the meaning, and not allow it to remain an insult. We reclaimed “queer” in the late ’80’s… if we can do that, those of us who are geeks and nerds should have no problem.

The word “Geek” hasn’t been used as a pejorative in popular culture in at least ten years. It got co-opted a looooooong time ago. Even as a kid, when all the “cool kids” were using to berate me and my friends, we called each other “geek.” It wasn’t so much something we were “proud” of. We were just aware of the fact that we were socially awkward and in to things that the majority of the population was not.

Now-a-days kids wear it as a badge of honor.

I actually don’t even self-identify as a geek anymore because I think it’s been played out. Plus, people have a tendency to define it as someone obsessed with a particular interest (especially esoteric or academic); like “comics geek,” “astronomy geek,” etc.

I prefer the term “nerd” for myself. Or even “dork.” I’m not particularly obsessed with a single interest. The closest I could come is “art geek” and that just sounds weird.

At any rate…

Wil is the photographer of the most popular item in my Flickr stream. I altered his photo of a tea garden to look like a miniature:

For those of you who have a problem with the word geek, here’s some friendly advice: get over it.

Anyway, I read the article. I fear I come across in it as something of a jerk. I hope that’s just the way it read to me and not for everyone! I remember being pretty fired up that day during the interview, and being excited. Well, time will tell. If anyone reads it, please comment here, and be honest!

As for the word “geek”, I just don’t like labels of any kind. It’s a stereotype, plain and simple. It doesn’t matter of some small subset has co-opted the word.

I enjoy and do many things that might make people think I’m “geeky” at that moment, but I have many other likes and interests that fall far outside the “geek” stereotype. I work out and exercise regularly, and am in pretty good shape. I’ve been known to watch sports. Does that make me a musclehead or a jock? I’m not socially awkward at all, and good at improvisational humor in social situations. So what label does that one get me? Maybe I shouldn’t ask.

And, honestly, the magazine looks a bit blah to me. Just an honest opinion. X Files? Adam West? Meh… Wheaton seems like a nice guy, but, I dunno. Hellboy 2? Maybe. The first one was OK, and I like Perlman’s work.

Maybe they can do a Star Trek Voyager and Seaquest retrospective next issue. Special guest interview with Veronica Cartwright!

Oh, what the heck. I’ll go get an issue, but I do get most of my news & information online, but there’s always a need for bathroom reading.

Like a lot of these things, the circles in which people move can be a huge factor. I happen to mix with people who see the term as, at worst, amusing, and at best, a compliment. Others’ mileages clearly vary. C’est la vie